Reddick surges to Victory with last lap pass
Sunday’s race at Miami-Homestead was a playoff classic, totally commanded by playoff drivers who set a record-breaking 33 lead changes at the track. If fans had their way—judging by the overwhelming response on social media—they’d move the championship finale back to Miami-Homestead based on the intensity of today’s race. All three stages produced epic battles and stellar racing, with the final 15 laps yielding ongoing shifts in the storyline and outcome.
For Kyle Larson, it could have been the tale of an incredible comeback after cutting a right rear tire earlier in the race. He charged from the back of the field into contention, closing in on Ryan Blaney during the final long green flag run. Larson made his move as he entered Turn 3 and attempted to shoot the middle between Ryan Blaney on the inside and Austin Dillon on the outside as Dillon was moving over to give Blaney room. But, as is so often true with Larson, his aggression overshadowed his decision-making. Much like Tyler Reddick’s move last week at Vegas that took out Chase Elliott, the move to “fill the hole” proved there wasn’t enough room. Larson got loose, and the result was a massive wobble that caused him to back out and almost wreck himself. The poorly executed maneuver brought out the caution, leaders pitted for fresh tires, and the restart ultimately shifted the race.
A different outcome could have been Denny Hamlin’s remarkable final restart to capture the lead with seven laps remaining, or Chase Elliott’s restart that saw a strong run to second place only to fade back to fifth, or Ryan Blaney’s bold overtake on Hamlin down the backstretch with only two laps remaining.
Instead, all 4 of these drivers faced the disappointment of falling just short of securing a guaranteed spot in the Championship 4, and now sit below the cut line heading into Martinsville next weekend.
The least likely scenario of all the playoff drivers was a win for Tyler Reddick, considering Reddick had been running on old tires and was about to run out of fuel as he patiently waited for a caution. He finally gave up the lead for a much-needed pit stop with 16 laps to go and cycled back onto the track between Elliott and Blaney. Minutes later, Kyle Larson triggered the caution with 13 laps remaining, allowing Reddick to remain on track while everyone else pitted. Although he initially fell back on the restart, Reddick overtook Denny Hamlin in Turns 1 and 2, then surged to the outside of Blaney in Turns 3 and 4 as he approached the checkered flag. This victory marks Reddick’s third win of the 2024 season and secures his spot in the Final Four, giving him his first chance to compete for a NASCAR Cup Series championship.
